MCTD Support Group

Mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) or Sharp's syndrome is a human autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the body. MCTD combines features of polymyositis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and systemic scleroderma and is thus considered an overlap syndrome. MCTD commonly causes joint pain/swelling, Raynaud phenomenon, muscle inflammation, and scarring of...

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Plaquenil and ANA UCTD

yayabeki
yayabeki
I went to my rheumy here in town after going o Mayo in Nov
I told him I was confused because they changed my dx from MCTD to UCTD because of my sx's and looks like my ANA is negative now but my RNP is pos. he told me that Plaquenil can change your ANA to neg so this is good news means it is working. .. But I guess still confused on all
I think they know more than what they share with us idk but that is how I feel. I am starting to have changes in my skin which the Dr said they were much worse before but are better now... These are the things I don't understand. And my rheumy is not good at explaining...
Reynauds , sjorgens, etc....
MToennis
MToennis
I did a little research awhile back and discovered that there are 2 schools of thought in the diagnosis of MCTD and 2 lists of things you have to have to be diagnosed. So, the doctors themselves are confused to a certain degree.
Mary Ann
deleted_user
deleted_user
MCTD is not alone in that regard. There are at least 2 different sets of criteria for diagnosing Scleroderma. I have heard of quite a few people who have had their diagnosis change when changing Rheumys. It seems that even top Rheumatologists at specialized scleroderma centers sometimes use different criteria and come up with different diagnoses. So it seems that medicine is sometimes more of an art than a science and there is much room for personal interpretation.
deleted_user
deleted_user
I have been told I have both. It is like different doctors call it different things. Once called it OCTD. The point is that you have inflammation and it is not one specific autoimmune disease. It is diffuse. I think of it as Lupus with friends. When I am on a good dose of Plaqenil, I seem to have a negative ANA as well. Altough, I think that might be changing right now.
In any case, I think, just my opinion,the name of the game is to keep the stuff as quiet as possible and not let it get the upper hand. You don't want full blown anything. I hope you are on a med regimen that is helping you. Good luck!